Unepic Wii U Review

Unepic is a melding pot of platforming, RPG, and dungeon crawling games. It has a distinctive classic NES/SNES style to it but with a new age feel mixed in. Unepic stars Daniel, the “unepic” hero from the modern world fighting through Harnakon, the large castle that Daniel has been transported into while using the washroom at a friend’s house during a D&D session. The game is available for Windows as well as Wii U. The title can be played with both the GamePad and Pro Controller, with the GamePad either functioning as a second screen for inventory, map, etc., or off-screen play.

Gameplay: Unepic is a very difficult dungeon crawler that is punishingly addictive. Inspired by MSX dungeon crawler, The Maze of Galious, Unepic is a side-scrolling dungeon crawler that features non-linear exploration. Sporting a wide variety of weapon types such as swords, axes, polearms, bows and wands as well as magic spells, you as the “hero” Daniel, have a 200+ room castle to explore in your quest. Where this game gets difficult is that everything is in real-time, so to use items effectively, you’ll need to hotkey them as there is also an item usage animation where you are open to attack. The combat, however, is simple and fun, and the more you use a weapon, the more effective it becomes. Unepic is smart in its stat building, relying on the RPG elements of usage equals stat development. Use the sword, you get sword experience, make potions, you get better at making them and feel the effects stronger. At times, the game itself will get on your nerves and that’s Unepic’s charm because it makes you that much better as you play on.

Graphics / Music: Unepic, as a 2D dungeon crawler looks extremely impressive. One of its greatest features comes in the ambient lighting and the physical design to the castle. Every section of the castle, while simple, looks good and delivers on the experience of a “dungeon crawler”. The music and sound of Unepic is engaging to the player, the music intensifying in conflict and the reminding (and annoying) beeping of low health. The compositions in Unepic are enchanting and the details to the music with the various instruments makes Daniel’s journey your journey as well. The voice acting (and writing) to the story is also very well done in a cheesy way, with a lot of humor and emotion delivered throughout the narrative.

Online Capabilities: Unepic is a single-player exclusive game at this current moment in time but it has been stated by the developer that there will be a multiplayer mode.

Replay Value: Unepic, even in the time I’ve played it is still not complete as I explore the castle and search for all its bounties. The game features multiple endings as well. With a wide cast of weaponry to dabble with and explore all the great abilities Daniel is akin to, you may just find yourself wanting to explore a new path in the choices you make.

Final Verdict:

Overall, despite the name, “Unepic” is quite the opposite. It is a fine example of the dungeon crawling RPGs and in my honest opinion, is epic. It crams pop culture and humour into an adventure in a medieval castle as your dim and nerdy hero explores and realizes his purpose in this adventure. There are details put to everything in this game, from the lighting to the RPG stat sheet. You get the true RPG experience, but the difficulty can push some away. I would highly recommend Unepic to fans of Metroidvania-style titles and to people who have patience and skill for an unforgiving experience. A gem that may not be perfect, but for a one man dev team, Unepic surely earns its Silver Game distinction.